An interview with Keith Urban

Nicole and Keith were sitting on a park bench, and out of the blue Keith asked: “How is your heart?”

Nicole answered: “It’s open.”

If that was just any Nicole and any Keith, then that exchange would have drifted into lover-talk obscurity. But this Nicole was Kidman, and this Keith was Urban. And for the rest of the story, you can listen to Urban’s new album, “Defying Gravity,” or come to his concert Wednesday at the Times Union Center.

The man’s in love, and that resounds in his songs and performances. He’s so happy that he’s defying gravity since marrying Kidman in 2006, completing a rehabilitation program for alcohol abuse and becoming a father. Kidman gave birth to their daughter in July last year.

“I’m very fortunate to have my wife and the arrival of our daughter, a new family, you know,” Urban says by phone from his tour bus a few hours before a concert last month in Portland, Ore. “For the particular journey that I’ve been on the last couple of years, the love for my family has been just extraordinary.

“And so, when I went in to write for this record, the songs all started to have this thematic energy about them. They took on that very strong sort of celebratory, positive tone.”

“Defying Gravity” was released in March and hit No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 albums chart. It also topped the country charts in the U.S. and Canada.

It is the sixth American album from Urban, 41, born in New Zealand, raised in Australia and reared on his father’s country records. And it’s in the running for Country Music Association album of the year. When the finalists were announced last month, Urban received five CMA nominations, including male vocalist and entertainer of the year. He has already won four CMA awards and two Grammys.
He’s often described as brash, but during this interview he is gracious, thoughtful and candid. He comes across as a sensitive man. The songs on his new album reflect that, including the song born from the discussion on the park bench, “My Heart Is Open.”

“It’s from a moment I had early on when my wife and I started dating,” Urban says. “I asked her how her heart was. I’m not quite sure where the question came from. It was an unusual question, I think in hindsight. It’s not something I’d ever asked anybody before, or perhaps even thought about.

“And I said, ‘How is your heart?’

“And she said, ‘It’s open.’

“I was really taken aback by the answer, because it wasn’t an answer that I was expecting. It was a beautiful answer. And it made me wonder about my own heart, if maybe my heart could be a little more open.”

That leads back to the songs on “Defying Gravity.”

“I think another theme that started to appear on this record was the question about the courage to love,” he says. “It’s one thing to write songs about love, and wanting love, not being able to find love, and losing love. But in that one line my wife sort of opened up this questioning of myself, ‘Is my heart really open?’

“And so, when I was looking for a title for the record, there’s a line in one of the songs that refers to defying gravity, and I thought, ‘That’s really what this record’s about. It’s about love … but also holding onto my faith and my hopes and my dreams and determination and passion. All of these strengths of our human spirit, if you will, are all of these things that defy gravity.”

To bring the songs to the public, Urban assembled what he describes as “the biggest production we’ve brought out,” including, for the first time, his own stage, which the crew transports from concert to concert.

“My goal for the tour was to get a stronger sense of connection between us and the audience, where we can minimize security and security barriers,” he says. “So the stage is designed much lower than normal, because I wanted to replicate that vibe in a club where you can put your hands on the stage and lean on the stage.

“There’s something great about that for an audience, but there’s also something great for us as performers. Sometimes the arena situation starts to get a bit sterile. It all starts to feel a bit disconnected. And so I was trying to find a way to get everything lower, closer to the crowd, getting rid of all security people at the front, and letting everybody feel much more a part of it.”

Urban uses two stages in the audience. He plays a few songs on a stage among the rear seats on the arena floor.

“And then we have another stage, which is portable,” he says. “It’s getting harder to surprise an audience, because everything goes up on YouTube, and everyone talks, and sort of everything gets given away. So I thought, ‘Let’s have a roving stage that can be moved from night to night, and no one will be quite sure where it’s going to end up.’”

Six days after his Albany show, Urban and Vince Gill will co-host a star-studded concert in Nashville to benefit the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Urban says that’s a way to give back to the community “that’s been so good to me.” He moved halfway around the world in 1992 to make music in Nashville. It’s now home to his family.

He also supports the museum because he appreciates county music history. What he finds most interesting, he says, is the pendulum of country music that swings from traditional to pop to country-rock. The music remains popular, he says, because it finds ways of taking on current styles that make it relevant to the time.

“I’ve had people say, ‘That’s not really country what you do,’” Urban says. “Hindsight is what’s needed before you can say something’s not country enough, because I guarantee that in 20 years when Shania Twain’s being played on classic country stations, it’ll make a lot of sense.”

9 Responses

Everyone needs to go to the concert. It is beyond AWESOME! The best concert I have ever seen and I go to alot of concerts and of a variety of genres. You will be totally entertained by Keith for two hours!

Buy your tickets, go to the concert, then you will see why so many of us travel all over the world to see Keith Urban perform. KU is phenomenal, like an eveready bunny, he doesn’t stop moving and it is one great big party. This Man is an increditible singer, and his guitar playing, well I’ve only seen one other that was that great!! I have never heard anyone refer to him as brash before, accessible, easy to talk to, down to earth, but never brash.
We love Keith Urban and are very happy Keith Urban has found the love of his life, it is rather like a fairy tale come true for this person to have come half around the world to achieve such success in bringing us together for what he love to do–MAKE MUSIC!!!!!!

What a spectacular combination for a concert!!Both KU and Sugarland are awesome headliners, who are great entertainers.What a perfect concert for both men and women to enjoy.In addition one should remember to bring a good pair of butnoculars !!(LOL)

Keith Urban is the best performer around today. He is an all encompassing talent, he loves what he does and he appreciates your willingness to buy a ticket and join him for a night of wonderful music and fun. None of this making you feel you are lucky he came to perform, but just the opposite. He seems to be a grateful man. His musical abilities are a true gift. Not many truly gifted performers around these days. Too many performers created by the sound studios and savvy managers that cannot even be listened to live. But thankfully not Keith Urban!! I’ve never heard him described as brash, and never witnessed brash behaviour in interviews live or written, and I have been a fan a long time!!

Keith Urban is an amazing performer! The best concerts we’ve ever been too. I agree with the energizer bunny! Also, that his voice is clear and pure, his guitar playing amongst the best in the world, and his relating to the crowd and enjoying what he does is obvious to all. You can tell in his attitude and words that he is grateful where he is and appreciative of his fans. There is never disappointment with the difference in the live performance versus recorded performance that you experience at other’s performances.

I agree with Susie and Alice in that I’ve never heard of Keith being described as brash. I don’t think he is capable of being brash from everything I’ve read about him over the past 5 yrs that I’ve been a fan. In fact, all I’ve ever heard is how Keith is a very humble and sincere person and taht is coming from many Nashville artists and insiders.

Someone gave this interviewer wrong information. Keith Urban is not only extremely talented. He is NEVER described as brash! He is humble, accessible, sweet and very caring! His shows are simply amazing!!

I was thrown for a loop when I read about Keith being Brash!! That is not at all how I would describe him. He is one the the nicest caring persons. When I met him he was very nice and any shows I have seen him at he is very genuine. He even tells security to be nice to his fans.

Awesome performance by Keith Urban and Sugarland! He is another Jimmy Hendrix with the guitar,endless energy! I would love to see him in a more club like setting.It would probably be an amazing experience,I could have listened to his playing all night!